In the Wilderness

by Charles Dudley Warner

Cited in Adirondack Life as one of the twenty-five most collectible books about the Adirondacks ever to appear, these essays were first published in book form in 1878. Warner’s main theme is the small, often-ludicrous figure that the human being cuts in the wilderness. His urbane satire takes the starch out of “the tin-can and paper collar tourists” who were beginning to flock to the Adirondacks. Warner also appeals to the sensibilities of his readers, then and now, as in the piece on “A-Hunting of the Deer,” which is written from the deer’s point of view. And in dead pan worthy of his friend and neighbor Mark Twain, he frequently pulls the reader’s leg, as in his description of a hastily built woods “shanty”: “It needs but a few of these skins to cover the roof, and they make a perfectly watertight roof, except when it rains.” Warner’s love of nature, combined with his humor and social satire, makes In the Wilderness as good a read now as it was more than a century ago.

Genres: Nature, Nonfiction, History

158 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1878

About the author

Charles Dudley Warner was an American essayist, novelist, and friend of Mark Twain, with whom he co-authored the novel The Gilded Age: A Tale of Today.

Warner travelled widely, lectured frequently, and was actively interested in prison reform, city park supervision, and other movements for the public good. He was the first president of the National Institute of Arts and Letters, and, at the time of his death, was president of the American Social Science Association.

Reviews

[Matte Resist · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I ran across a copy at Half Price Books when I brought my son there recently. I've mostly avoided browsing books because I own so many that I haven't read, but I couldn't possibly go there without looking through the little "nature writing" section. That particular day there were so many books that looked interesting that I took note of a bunch of them to request from the library. I kind of wish I'd picked up that copy because I'm definitely going to want to read these stories again, but I think I enjoyed them even more because I was reading them from a copy of the book that was over 100 years old! The library stamp in the back cover is from 1903!!

This is a short collection of stories about the Adirondacks in the late 1800's. There's one about running into a bear while collecting berries and having to kill it. Another about getting lost in the woods on a fishing trip. Stories about hunting a fishing, but from different perspectives than you might expect. It's full of little gems like this one, "It needs but a few of these skins (of spruce bark) to cover the roof; and they make a perfectly water-tight roof, except when it rains." The humorous quips make it a fun read, but it's the times he goes deeper and sort of splays out in the inconsistencies in human nature that made it really enjoyable for me. In his story about camping he basically points out that we all want to have this experience in nature where we venture to a virgin forest, untouched by an ax, with no evidence that it's ever been visited by humans and then screw up that experience for anybody who comes after us by cutting down trees, building fires and making it more than evident that the forest isn't virgin anymore. One of my favorite quotes from the book is in that same story.

"Probably it is not so much the desire of the congregation to escape from the preacher, or of the preacher to escape from himself, that drives sophisticated people into the wilderness, as it is the unconquered craving for primitive simplicity, the revolt against the everlasting dress-parade of our civilization."

This is a book I will definitely be adding to my own library.

[David Vintinner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Throw out your Emerson and your Thoreau. Charles Dudley Warner should rule. He's even funnier than Twain, because he's got a touch less sarcasm. Compared to him, those other guys were pretentious overthinkers who were barely able to get an idea across through words. If I had free time, I would campaign to insert his works into school reading lists of American Lit. But for now, I'll just send this review out into the interwebs, and read another Warner essay.

[Debby · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a collection of essays that was first published as a book in 1878. It has taken me awhile to read it as I used it more as a text. I would read about a place and look at where it is located today by what name. I picked this book up at the Adirondack Museum several years ago. I thought I would learn a little more about the area close to where I live and visit often. It can be tedious to read due to the "old language" but it is still enjoyable. There is an essay on camping that is very relatable to anyone that has camped in a tent with their family or any group. Over 100 years later, I can definitely relate. There is also an essay on spring arriving in New England. It is a very fitting description of the arrival of spring in Northern New York.
If you are interested in the Adirondack region, this is an interesting read on the history of the area and the old mountain man who wandered through the woods.

[Marcin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jeśli ktoś szuka awanturniczych przygód w starodawnym stylu, okraszonych specyficznym humorem to absolutnie się nie zawiedzie. Autor filozofuje, psioczy i wylewa swoje żale na ówczesny świat podczas klasycznych wędrówek, a robi to w taki sam sposób, jaki my robimy to dzisiaj – choć dzieli nas jakieś 140 lat! Zaskakuje wyjątkowo współczesnym spojrzeniem i daje ciekawy obraz spędzania "wolnych" chwil w tamtych czasach. Na szczególną pochwałę zasługuje fenomenalny przekład i wydanie Rafała Wierzbickiego – warto śledzić jego wydawnictwo.

[Karol Darmas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bardzo fajna książka. Napisana przyjemnym obrazowym językiem. Autor to świetny gawędziarz - historii tu opisanych lepiej słuchało by się przy ognisku, ale cóż - pozostało się nasycić samą lekturą.